Portable computers are available in a wide variety of styles, including laptops, notebooks, palmtops, and write-on computers (the latter also being variously known as slate computers or pen computers, and being characterized by the absence of an alphanumeric keyboard). Some portable computers have an LCD or other flat-panel display that is protected from abuse by a hinged display cover.
Exemplary of these prior art display covers is the arrangement shown in Design Pat. No. 321,865, wherein a hinged plastic plate overlies and protects the display of a write-on computer. Another common arrangement is that shown in allowed design patent application 07/652,743, wherein the display of a palmtop computer is protected by another component of the computer (such as the keyboard) folded adjacent thereto.
All of these arrangements suffer from a common failing: there is virtually no provision for user interaction with the computer when the cover is closed. (Some computers can "beep" at the user when the cover is closed.) As disclosed below, this is an unnecessary impairment of the computer's capabilities.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a computer is provided with a display cover that permits visual--and in some cases tactile or stylus-based--interaction with the computer, even when the cover is closed. Such a computer may also be equipped with a touch-responsive input device that permits a user to acknowledge alerts from the computer, again without opening the display cover. In many embodiments, the computer is provided with an improved display cover hinge that facilitates operation.
The foregoing and additional features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.